FX’s Justified, coming off a second season that was one of the best things on TV in 2011, returned last night with an episode that included new nemeses, an icepick-wielding adversary and some old-fashioned Western shootistry. If this year is like the last couple, I’ll probably start posting more about individual episodes as the season moves along; seasons one and two both built an irresistible head of steam about halfway in. For now, the country-lawman series is putting new pieces in place, with some promising signs, especially the introduction of a Detroit-mob kingpin played by Neal McDonough, so icily menacing you could get frostbite standing too close. It also dealt with the repercussions of last season’s events surrounding the Mags Bennett empire, including Boyd Crowder’s vendetta against Dickie.
All this, and helpful information about the proper long-term storage of bales of weed! If you watched the premiere, let us know what you think so far. Also, in the spirit of The Morning After, feel free to share any thoughts about the return of TNT’s cop drama Southland, which I don’t plan to review regularly but which has really grown since leaving NBC into a raw but thoughtful look at the clashes and epiphanies of the street beat. (Excellent work last night by Regina King and Benjamin McKenzie.) How was the ride-along?